His main competition in the finals was fellow Jamaican Yohan Blake, a 22-year-old who Bolt nicknamed "The Beast" and who finished second in the race at 9.75 seconds, and American Justin Gatlin will take bronze with a 9.79 second finish.

Though the two will be bitter rivals in the final sprint, they are teammates off the track.

"We are keeping a good chemistry," Blake said Saturday of Bolt, his training partner, CNN reported. "We are joking in training, having fun. On race day, it's business. But outside, we are still friends."

The men's 100m dash is one of the most anticipated events of the Olympics, and Bolt was its central protagonist.

While the US has been the dominant force in Olympic sprinting — since the 100-meter event began in 1908, there have only been two contests where an American man not been on the podium — the Jamaicans have, quite literally, given them a run for their money.

"What we are seeing is a rise in the level of the Jamaican sprinters," David Wallechinsky, author of "The Complete History of the Olympics," told the Christian Science Monitor. "You can't prevent the rest of the world from getting better."